Twelve Transformational Digital Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1)

Transcription

1 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1)

2 Will these 12 emerging technologies transform retailing? You decide! Twelve Transformational Digital Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1)

3 Retail Technologies Explained 1. The Interface Explosion (Part 1) 2. Responsive Web Design 3. Open A.P.I. Platforms 4. Cloud Computing 5. Big Data 6. Mobile Payments 7. Augmented Reality 8. Geofencing 9. Beacons D Printing 11. The Internet of Things 12. Bitcoins

4 Retail Technologies Explained (Part1) 2. Responsive Web Design What is it? : Design approach aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal and consistent viewing experience with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling across a wide range of devices Allows for same site and content regardless of device Single code base / single set of URL s (make changes once) Less expensive to maintain than multiple sites Flexible grids / Breakpoints by screen size

5 Retail Technologies (Part 1) 2. Responsive Web Design (RWD) today: Can help improve search engine optimization Allows for a single content management system Designers can now take a mobile first approach Originally deployed for creative sites and blogs, but not retail Only 8% of Top 500 ecommerce sites have fully adapted Responsive Design Still early for best practices to follow by retail merchants

6 Retail Technologies Expalined (Part) 2. Native Mobile apps vs. Responsive 1) 1) Web Design: Mobile Specific Site Advantages o Faster load / lighter weight o Quicker to execute: 3 rd party template solutions have existed for several years Mobile Specific Site Disadvantages o Re-directs needed for each page (eg. ½ of s are opened on mobile devices ) o Creation and maintenance of duplicate content o Google SEO penalizes bad or missing redirects

7 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 2. Native Mobile apps vs. Responsive Web Design (RWD): RWD Site Disadvantages o Expensive for large sites (similar to re-platforming) o Many retailers have already recently re-platformed o Can slow down site (if starting point is a desk top design) o Technical skill set is skill scarce in retail IT shops : Complexity of designing strong experiences in Responsive o Difficult to A/B test vs. mobile specific site testing and desktop specific site testing o Tablet experience often better than smartphone experience in Responsive

8 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 2. Responsive Web Design : QVC Case Study o In 2013, QVC/ Liberty Media ranked #5 in ecommerce sales and #3 in Mobile Commerce (behind only Apple and Amazon) o QVC launched Responsive Web Design in November, 2013 o Taking a step-by-step approach starting with checkout o Why Responsive? QVC wanted a comprehensive in-house solution for fast implementations o They recognized that 33% on online sales were already ocurring through mobile devices o It is still too soon to draw conclusions on results

9 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 2. Responsive Web Design: Other 1) 1) Case Studies o Tommy Hilfiger was first major brand or retailer to go Responsive (Q1 of 2013) o Gap announced a major investment in responsive design across all of its sites (April, 2014)

10 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 3. Open API* Platforms: Why needed? The proliferation of devices and of interfaces makes it imperative to share development beyond the IT department Opening up of the product catalog enables innovative business models and mash-ups to be created by independent and partner developers *Application Programming Interface

11 Google Maps API API common example: Google maps: For a few pennies per click, any retailer or restaurant add mapping capability to their store locator.

12 API = web services carved out of enterprise systems

13 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 4. Cloud Computing: For CIO: o architecture moves from rigid physical servers to software-like flexible systems For CEO: o from capital expenditure budget for IT resources to on-demand virtual computing For small to mid-size retailers: o Removes capacity constraints: equalizes the playing field scalability For the Consumer: o The personal cloud. Data consistency across personal devices

14 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 5. Big Data: The amount of consumer data is so large and complex that it requires increasingly complex management tools to optimize the potential benefits According to McKinsey, if retailers could full optimize big data, They d see 60% increase in operating margins Integration of data from many sources is challenge Transaction data, web browsing data, customer data, product data, location data, demographic data, social data, etc.

15 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 6. Mobile Payments: Mobile will eventually fuel conversion to a cashless economy (But when??) U.S. behind other markets like Japan in consumer use of mobile payments Mable payments will connect consumers smartphones with POS, digital signage, kiosks, etc. Only 25% of consumers are even somewhat interested today Mobile payments this year forecasted to be $1Billion Expected to be $58 Billion by 2017

16 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 6. Mobile Payments: Competing mobile wallet technologies will slow down adaption. NFC (Near Field Communication) embraced by Google (Google Wallet) Already in some Sprint phones (roll-out coming soon) Isis, a joint venture of AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile is also embracing NFC (roll-out coming soon) * MCX (Merchant Customer Exchange) is a consortia of retailers: Walmart, Best Buy, Target, 7-Eleven, CVS, Lowe s, Sears, and others o Developing a mobile app for nearly all smartphones o CVS pulls Apple Pay so as not to conflict with consortia goals Paypal has been testing an app for mobile payments Square already available in Starbucks, but not a lot of tractions overall Visa and MasterCard each have their own mobile payment apps Android devices from Samsung equipped with NFC chip Apple had not embraced NFC chip or any of these initiatives until now Standards will continue to be an issue: Hardware (chip), Carriers, POS

17 Retail Technologies Explained (Part 1) 6. Mobile Payments: Will Apple Pay be the game changer? o Now available on new iphones and ipads o Does now contain an NFC chip o Hundreds of banks on board. o Timing is right as consumers lack confidence in traditional card security at retail stores o Built in customer base millions of registered itunes accounts

18 Retail Technologies Explained 1. The Interface Explosion (Part 1) 2. Responsive Web Design 3. Open A.P.I. Platforms 4. Cloud Computing 5. Big Data 6. Mobile Payments Have any of these six impacted your retail business? Are you investing or plan to invest in any of these Technologies? Interested in sharing a case study? We are here to assist and advise. Contact retail thinktank.com for comments, Feedback or additional information about TRTT

19 Will these 12 emerging technologies transform retailing? You decide! Watch for Part 2 in January, exclusively in The Retail Think Tank Insights Twelve Transformational Digital Retail Technologies Explained

20 Thank You!